wenyb/ThermoBench

Multi-Satellite Atmospheric Density and Space Environment Dataset

Overview

This dataset is a multi-satellite, multi-epoch, multi-dimensional comprehensive collection of atmospheric density and space environment observations from 5 distinct satellites (CHAMP, GRACE-A, GRACE-B, GRACE-FO, GOCE). It provides high-precision orbital parameters and atmospheric density measurements, seamlessly integrated with key space environment indices including geomagnetic activity and solar activity parameters.

Key Highlights

• 🛰️ Five Diverse Satellites: Covering different orbital altitudes and observation periods
• 📈 Complete Parameter Set: 14 essential physical quantities spanning orbit, atmosphere, geomagnetism, and solar activity
• 🌍 Period Classification: Separate quiet and active subsets for contrastive analysis
• ⏱️ High Temporal Resolution: 10-second sampling interval capturing rapid atmospheric density variations
• 🔬 Production-Ready Quality: Rigorously quality-controlled with missing values filled

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Data Organization

ThermoBench/
├── CHAMP.csv              # CHAMP satellite complete dataset
├── GRACE_A.csv            # GRACE-A satellite complete dataset
├── GRACE_B.csv            # GRACE-B satellite complete dataset
├── GRACE_FO.csv           # GRACE-FO satellite complete dataset
├── GOCE.csv               # GOCE satellite complete dataset

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Satellite Platform Diversity

1. CHAMP (Challenging Minisatellite Payload)

• Orbital altitude: ~400–500 km (initial)
• Mission period: 2000–2010
• Highlights: Pioneer in low-orbit atmospheric density sounding; provides 11 years of continuous observations
• Data volume: ~30 million records
• Scientific value: Studying long-term solar cycle effects on low-Earth-orbit atmospheric density

2. GRACE-A / GRACE-B (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment)

• Orbital altitude: ~500 km (initial)
• Mission period: 2002–2017
• Highlights: Twin-satellite formation flying delivering high-precision gravity field and atmospheric density data
• Data volume: ~25 million records per satellite
• Scientific value: Joint twin-satellite observations enabling cross-validation of atmospheric density models

3. GRACE-FO (GRACE Follow-On)

• Orbital altitude: ~490 km
• Mission period: 2018–present
• Highlights: Continuation of the GRACE mission carrying improved accelerometers
• Data volume: ~15 million records (continuously growing)
• Scientific value: Providing up-to-date atmospheric density observations supporting modern space weather forecasting

4. GOCE (Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer)

• Orbital altitude: ~250–270 km (ultra-low orbit)
• Mission period: 2009–2013
• Highlights: The lowest-flying Earth observation satellite in history
• Data volume: ~18 million records
• Scientific value: Probing high-resolution atmospheric density at extremely low altitudes; investigating atmospheric tide effects

Satellite Comparison

Satellite	Altitude (km)	Time Span	Records (M)	Resolution
CHAMP	400–500	2000–2010	~30	10 sec
GRACE-A	~500	2002–2017	~25	10 sec
GRACE-B	~500	2002–2017	~25	10 sec
GRACE-FO	~490	2018–present	~15	10 sec
GOCE	250–270	2009–2013	~18	10 sec
Total	250–500	2000–present	~113	10 sec

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Quiet vs. Active Period Classification

A distinctive feature of this dataset is the stratification into two subsets based on space weather activity level, explicitly designed to support contrastive studies and model validation.

🔵 Quiet Period

• Criteria: Kp ≤ 3 and ap ≤ 15
• Characteristics:
  • Weak geomagnetic activity
  • Stable solar irradiance
  • Smooth atmospheric density variations
  • Ideal for establishing baseline atmospheric models
• Recommended applications:
  • Reference atmospheric model construction
  • Satellite orbital decay prediction
  • Long-term climate trend analysis

🔴 Active Period

• Criteria: Kp > 3 or ap > 15
• Characteristics:
  • Frequent geomagnetic storms and substorms
  • Solar flare and coronal mass ejection (CME) impacts
  • Intense density fluctuations (up to 5–10× the quiet-period level)
  • Includes extreme space weather events
• Recommended applications:
  • Space weather forecast model validation
  • Extreme event response studies
  • Satellite safety early-warning system development

Quiet vs. Active at a Glance

Feature	Quiet	Active
Data proportion	~60% of total	~40% of total
Typical Kp	1.5–2.5	4.0–6.0
Density variation	< 20%	100–500%
F10.7 range (sfu)	70–150	150–250
Typical events	None	Geomagnetic storms, solar flares

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Field Descriptions

Time & Position Parameters

Field	Type	Unit	Description
date	timestamp	—	Observation timestamp (UTC), format: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS.fff
altitude_m	float64	m	Satellite orbital altitude (geocentric distance minus Earth radius)
longitude_deg	float64	°	Satellite longitude (−180 to 180)
latitude_deg	float64	°	Satellite latitude (−90 to 90)
lst_h	float64	h	Local solar time (0–24), the solar time at the satellite's sub-point
arglat_deg	float64	°	Argument of latitude, an orbital mechanics parameter

Space Environment Indices

Field	Type	Unit	Description	Native Resolution
Kp	float64	—	Planetary geomagnetic activity index (0–9)	3 hours
ap	float64	nT	Equivalent amplitude geomagnetic index	3 hours
Ap	float64	nT	Daily mean geomagnetic index	1 day
SN	float64	—	International sunspot number	1 day
F10.7obs	float64	sfu	Observed 10.7 cm solar radio flux	1 day
F10.7adj	float64	sfu	Sun–Earth distance adjusted F10.7	1 day

Note: Space environment indices are forward-filled to the 10-second satellite observation cadence.

Atmospheric Density Parameters

Field	Type	Unit	Description
rho_x_kg_m3	float64	kg/m³	Instantaneous atmospheric density, directly derived from accelerometer measurements
rho_mean_kg_m3	float64	kg/m³	Running orbit-averaged atmospheric density, smoothing out short-period fluctuations

Data quality:

• Anomalous data points (marked with flag = 1) have been removed
• Missing values have been filled via linear interpolation and forward-fill
• Density range: 10⁻¹⁵ to 10⁻¹¹ kg/m³ (altitude-dependent)

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Statistical Summary

Temporal Coverage

CHAMP:     2000-07-29 to 2010-09-04  (10 years)
GRACE-A:   2002-04-04 to 2017-06-30  (15 years)
GRACE-B:   2002-04-04 to 2017-06-30  (15 years)
GRACE-FO:  2018-06-01 to 2024-12-31  (6+ years)
GOCE:      2009-11-01 to 2013-10-31  (4 years)

Orbital Altitude Distribution

• GOCE: 250–270 km (ultra-low orbit — the most sensitive density measurements)
• CHAMP: 400–500 km (low orbit — long-term trend observations)
• GRACE series: 490–500 km (mid-low orbit — joint gravity and atmosphere studies)

Space Environment Coverage

• Solar cycles: Spans Solar Cycles 23, 24, and the ascending phase of 25
• Geomagnetic storms: 50+ moderate-to-intense events (Dst < −50 nT)
• F10.7 range: 65 sfu (solar minimum) to 250 sfu (solar maximum)

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Scientific Applications

1. Atmospheric Density Model Development & Validation

• Construct empirical atmospheric density models from multi-satellite data
• Validate JB2008, NRLMSISE-00, DTM, and other standard models
• Develop regionally corrected models

2. Space Weather Forecasting

• Investigate the mechanisms of density response to geomagnetic storms
• Build density disturbance early-warning models
• Support satellite orbit prediction and collision avoidance

3. Solar Cycle Effects

• Analyze the 11-year solar cycle impact on low-Earth-orbit atmosphere
• Study long-term climate change trends
• Predict future atmospheric density evolution

4. Atmospheric Tides & Waves

• Exploit GOCE ultra-low-orbit data to study atmospheric tides
• Analyze planetary wave and gravity wave effects on density
• Reveal lower thermosphere dynamic processes

5. Multi-Satellite Joint Studies

• Compare atmospheric responses at different orbital altitudes
• Examine spatiotemporal variability of atmospheric density
• Verify inter-satellite measurement consistency

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License

This dataset is released under the CC BY 4.0 license.

When using this dataset, please provide appropriate attribution to the original data sources and related literature.

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